One would presume Hawaiian environment isn’t too conducive to having the blues, yet when your neighbor is none other than Mick Fleetwood – who, unlike many of his fans, never forgot the genre he hails from – and the two of you recently worked together on THE DOOBIE BROTHERS single, such an idea doesn’t seem too alien even to ukulele legend Jake Shimabukuro. And that’s how the album titled “Blues Experience” came about to be issued on October 18th.
Lately Van Morrison has apparently been bent on oversaturating the market with his output. Less than a year after the release of “Accentuate The Positive” – his latest studio album – and the recent announcement of the August issue of his 2014 concert document, the veteran delved into his archives to come up with fifteen numbers from the not-too-distant past. Set to see the light of day on September 13th, his new collection “New Arrangements And Duets” features, as its title suggests, different takes on such latter-day gems as “The Beauty Of The Days Gone By” and shared-microphone versions of “What’s Wrong With This Picture” and the Irishman’s other cuts.
Permanently etched in history thanks to the last album of their classic lifespan thanks to 1972’s “Music from Macbeth” being a soundtrack to Roman Polanski’s interpretation of Shakespeare and sporting a Roger Dean cover, THIRD EAR BAND were much more interesting than that particular platter. An avant-garde instrumental ensemble who married medieval idioms to raga rock and European folk influences, they didn’t really had any peers on the scene – especially during their tremendously riveting concert performances. Still, connoisseurs could only wish to hear how the collective sounded in front of the audience back in the day, as all their available stage recordings hail from the reformed line-up – from the late ’80s and early ’90s. Until now.
A star in his own right, Brian Auger laid down a solid bulk of his immortal oeuvre within the framework of two ensembles: TRINITY and OBLIVION EXPRESS. But while the organist resurrected the latter, a later one, in the ’90s, the former, hailing from the ’60s, was harder to restart – if only because it’s always been associated with female voice and stricter performing discipline than its successor. The singers seemed to be in place, though, with Brian’s daughters Ali and Savannah gracing the stage, while his drummer son Karma drove the groove from the back, so a time came when the Augers decided to indulge their audiences in classic material, and 2011 found the Savannah-fronted family, minus Ali, filmed for a popular German TV programme.
One of the most underrated British bluesmen, Snowy White even now, after four decades of exploring this genre, is still mostly associated with his stints with THIN LIZZY – many tend to forget the guitarist not only played with them but also co-wrote the title tracks of both “Chinatown” and “Renegade” – and, as a touring musician, PINK FLOYD, although, of course, his presence is felt on ‘In The Skies” by Peter Green as well. However, the veteran’s solo career, which started with “White Flames” in 1983 and a very successful eponymous longplay – one including a hit single “Bird Of Paradise” – a year later, has been steadily impressive and quite abundant, the Englishman’s 2022 offering “Driving On The 44” finding very favorable reaction in continental Europe. That’s why his next album didn’t take too long to arrive.
